By the late 1980s, Muslim parents in Maryland faced a new challenge: how to keep their children connected to both their faith and their peers. Public schools offered sports and clubs, but many worried about weekend sleepovers, mixed activities, and values that didn’t align with Islam. The answer came in an unexpected form: Scouting.
It began when a few fathers at the Islamic Society of Baltimore noticed their kids were fascinated by the uniforms, badges, and camping trips of local Boy Scouts. Instead of keeping them away, the parents decided to create their own troop, one that would follow the scouting model but with an Islamic spirit.
The first Muslim scout troop met in the basement of ISB. A dozen boys, nervous but excited, were given uniforms with green sashes, each pocket ready for merit badges. They learned how to tie knots, pitch tents, and build campfires. But alongside survival skills, they memorized Qur’anic verses, learned how to lead prayer outdoors, and were taught that leadership meant service.
Their first camping trip was unforgettable. In the woods of western Maryland, the boys set up tents, roasted marshmallows, and hiked trails. When maghrib came, they lined up under the open sky, praying with sleeping bags as makeshift prayer rugs. Their takbir echoed softly through the trees. For them, it was the first time Islam and American life blended so seamlessly, campfires and Qur’an, hiking boots and prayer beads.
Parents soon saw the benefits. The boys gained confidence, discipline, and a sense of belonging. Instead of feeling torn between two worlds, they felt proud to be both Muslim and American. Over time, the program expanded to include girls’ troops, with mothers stepping up as troop leaders.
Decades later, alumni of Maryland’s first Muslim scout troops often speak of those years as formative. Many went on to become doctors, teachers, community leaders, but they still remember their first badges, their first prayers in the woods, and the friendships that lasted long after scouting days ended.
The Muslim scout troop was more than just a club. It served as a bridge, showoing young Muslims that they could camp, hike, serve their community, and still live their faith fully. In many ways, it was training for the life ahead: to walk confidently in both worlds, carrying Islam wherever they went.